Who Owns Your Personal Data Anyway?

WHO OWNS YOUR PERSONAL DATA ANYWAY?
Harvard Business School professor John Deighton says that instead of relying on regulators to protect their privacy through contrivances such as the "Do Not Call" list, consumers should capitalize on the value of their personal information and get something in return for allowing businesses to use it. With companies doing a brisk business in selling and reselling your data, it's time for individuals to get into the act, demanding rewards such as better customer service, price discounts or maybe just plain money. "The challenge is to give people a claim on their identities while protecting them from mistreatment. The solution is to create institutions that allow consumers to build and claim the value of their marketplace identities and that give producers the incentive to respect them. Privacy and identity then become opposing economic goods, and consumers can choose how much of each they would like to consume" says Deighton. (HBS Working Knowledge/CNet 1 Sep 2003)